A Greenville man has been sentenced to 63 months in prison for mail fraud related to a Ponzi scheme. Willard Timothy Sutton, aged 64, was also given three years of supervised release and ordered to pay $8,986,162 in restitution. He pled guilty on February 26, 2025.
Acting U.S. Attorney Daniel P. Bubar stated, “The defendant orchestrated a complex and brazen Ponzi scheme that exploited the trust of hard-working North Carolinians, based upon his own greed.”
James C. Barnacle Jr., FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge in North Carolina, commented on the case: “Mr. Sutton ran a local business for many years… When he ran into financial trouble, he chose to commit a federal crime rather than admit his business was failing.”
From at least 2019 to 2023, Sutton operated a Ponzi scheme through Greenville Auto World, LLC (GAW), causing over $9 million in losses to more than 65 victims. During this period, he collected over $63 million from investors.
GAW functioned as a “buy here pay here” car dealership offering vehicle loans directly to customers with poor or no credit history. Between approximately 2012 and 2023, Sutton sold finance contracts through direct solicitation and referrals.
Starting around 2019, Sutton misled investors about the security of their investments while operating GAW as a Ponzi scheme by selling fake loan contracts and using new investor funds to pay earlier ones.
In approximately 2022, Sutton sought additional funds under false pretenses by claiming they were needed for vehicle inventory when they were used to sustain the fraudulent operation.
The announcement was made by Daniel P. Bubar after sentencing concluded. The FBI’s Charlotte Field Office investigated the case with Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam F. Hulbig prosecuting.
